Pretending
by Runaway Wordette
Summary: Sometimes, Fiora just needs to pretend to survive. "Her sharp blue eyes watched as her breath furled out into incredible, twisting shapes and forms. A roaring dragon and a princess with a flowing gown made of fog, a fairy with thin, fluttery wings, and a lance twirling in a young warrior's hand. It was the like fairytales she had never gotten the chance to read."


**I love Fiora's character. She's just so strong, elegant, and persevering! I wanted to give her a little love with this. I'm not sure if the symbolism I tried to put in will show... Fingers crossed!**

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Every once in awhile, Fiora liked to pretend.

Her back rested comfortably against the back of the stick and straw hut. The sky stretched above her, an endless kingdom of blue while the snow gleamed around her. She looked around, taking in the awing emptiness of the snowy field. Not a single grayish-green weed dared break the surface of the pure powder and it lay in thick sheets for miles in each direction. Sometimes, when she was out like this, she pretended that there was no one else but her, and that she was all alone. The good kind of alone. The safe one.

Her sharp blue eyes watched as her breath furled out into incredible, twisting shapes and forms. A roaring dragon and a princess with a flowing gown made of fog, a fairy with fluttery wings, and a lance twirling in a young warrior's hand. It was the like fairytales she had never gotten the chance to read.

She sighed again, shifting deeper into the snow that she sat on. Sometimes she liked the cold. The biting ache would become a refreshing sting, the numb fingers a tingly dexterous, and the feeling of having frozen lungs would disappear, for the air would seem fresh and it tasted of mint and all things pure. These times were preciously rare, and she savored every second of them. Even the hunger pangs in her belly seemed far away when these moments struck.

She tilted her head up, ignoring the way the fluttering strands of her hair became caught on the scratchy outer wall of the hut. The sky was so blue. So, beautifully, beautifully blue. It was such an incredible color, and yet people refused to look up at it, preferring the navy blue of their frozen toes, or if they were lucky, the ratty cloths that acted as a pathetic pair of shoes. Fiora glanced down for an instant at her own wrapped feet, and almost wished she had her boots. Whenever she came back from training or missions, Farina and Florina would take turns wearing her warm uniform. They looked painfully silly in a sad way, hidden in the deep folds of the cloth with gaunt and skinny faces.

She shook the thought from her head with a flicker of irritation. This was her happy time, her pretending time. Her eyes flickered closed and she was surrounded in black. She pictured her spirit, a transparent silvery thing like her curling breath, and made it fly away. The spirit shot forward, over the barren gray fields to lands unknown. The pale, watery sun filled out and became a blazing inferno of heat and warmth. The frigid blanket faded to an emerald green carpeted with delicate, pastel flowers. Trees burst forth from the earth, bearing vibrantly colored fruits of crimson and indigo that she had never seen before. Animals galloped forth, fluffy pelts and sagging fat promising warmth and a good meal. A bonfire, a roaring gold with traces of bright blue sprung up with mountains of dry firewood. The smell of cooking meat and the crackle of the logs pervaded the air and gave a sense of warm comfort. The final touch, soft and heavy footsteps padded on the lush grass. A man, with chestnut colored hair with peppering of gray. His eyes an ice water blue with crinkles on the sides that radiated warmth and affection with his wide, beaming smile. A petite woman with pale lavender hair, and lapis navy eyes that held love and pride. Her soft smile grew as two young girls, mixtures of the two adults, tumbled out of her skirts. They were grinning and chubby, giggling and chasing one another.

"I-"

The illusion disappeared in an instant. The cold came rushing back as if she had been drenched in icy water. The rough feeling of snow against her bare legs, and scratchy texture of the hut wall against her neck snapped back. The air seemed to become more dense, and breaths harder to take in. Fiora's eyes flashed open, as if waking from a nightmare, and she looked around herself silently.

The time had expired as it always did. She relaxed her tensed posture and let out a sigh, fixing the swirling fog with a withering look. The cold no longer felt fresh and pure, merely suffocating and icy.

"Fiiiiioooooorrrrraaaaaaa!"

The impatient voice slammed against her eardrums and Fiora winced slightly. She pressed her numb palms against the earth and pushed herself up with sore muscles, ignoring the twinge of pain from the wound on her torso that crinkled with the movement.

"I'm over here, Farina. You needn't shout."

Loud crunching footsteps rounded the corner, revealing an irritated and painfully skinny ten year old with messy blue hair. Latched in a death grip was a lavender-haired six year old with wide, pleading blue eyes. Farina glared, and stomped forward, Florina literally dragged by her heels behind her, creating a path of brown soil from beneath the contrasting white. The procession came to a halt in front of Fiora and she stifled a sigh, keeping her face neutral.

Gentle, calloused hands reached out and unlatched Farina's bruising grip from Florina's pale arm. The six year old was lifted up and set on Firora's bony hip as she regarded the still angry Farina with slightly stern eyes.

"I told you not to drag your sister around like that, Farina. You could hurt her."

Farina snorted angrily, the adult sound strange from the young girl.

"I'm hungry. I'm always hungry."

The sharp plaintive words cut into Fiora's skin and she resisted the urge to snap back. _What do you expect me to do?! I can fly away, away, on my pegasus, why do you think I'm still here?! Feed yourself!_

Fiora cut off the raging voice quickly, knowing the words stemmed from her anger and not her heart. She turned, and began to wade through the sea of white with Florina, not turning back.

"Florina and I are going to the market with the money from my last job. If you're feeling civil enough, you can accompany us."

The resentful sigh from behind her was dulled by the sound of clumsy footsteps following after her. Fiora didn't turn back as the young girl caught up and set a quick pace to keep up with her older sister's larger strides.

"How much food can we get with your money, Fiowa?"

The younger girl's innocent voice that still held a slight lisp knocked Fiora out of her thoughts. _Not enough. _ She forced a smile onto her face as she stared into the questioning eyes that matched her own, without the weary look and with the long forgotten childlike innocence.

Fiora reached down with her free hand and scooped up some of the snow crystals from the earth. She continued to force the smile as she held the snow in front of the two younger girl's faces. Her slender fingers slowly began to crush the powder firmly, pressing it into a hard shape.

"You see, girls…"

The hands opened, revealing clear pieces of ice, almost blending into the calluses and scars on the pale hand.

"We have some diamonds, so we'll buy whatever we want."


End file.
